Phoenix Rising
by rockyhorrorgirl
Summary: Helen deals with the aftermath of destroying the Sanctuary, and everything seems to - sort of - fall into place. Teslen.
1. Chapter 1

**_Oh-ho! Look at me writing things, even now that I'm back in college again! Yes, I know, I have a ton to update on - please don't hurt me - and I will, eventually, but I want to try my hand at some more Teslen fic that isn't so complicated to get down on paper. I just have a ot of feels about these two right now for some reasons._**

**_Anyway, it's good to be back!_**

Staring hazily at the sky above as debris rained down about her and flames licked at her worn, tired, and broken body, Helen could only recall the tale of the phoenix. Born from the ashes, rising from the flames to start anew. Rebirth, it symbolized. A harsh analogy to what she'd just accomplished. Normally phoenixes didn't destroy their home, their friends – just themselves. Helen had succeeded in doing all three, a feat she hadn't expected. Everyone who had already given their lives – she'd been hoping to avoid it. And now, with her home sitting in ruin around her, burning, she couldn't help an overwhelming sense of nausea at the mere thought.

Then, a bit of freedom surged forward. Blinking up at the stars past the billowing smoke, she felt an odd sense of freedom. Knowing what awaited her below the surface, knowing that she was finally free in such a way that she could continue her work without the interference of the government, or anyone for that matter – it was rather brilliant. There was still quite a bit of work to be done, rebuilding, but the worst was over. Tomorrow, after they'd put out the fires, they would look for her body. The way Helen felt at the moment, she knew they were likely to find it. Everything hurt – even with Henry's vest, quite a bit of damage had been done.

But no. She was free now. She had, in fact, been reborn. Shed the old Helen Magnus and ushered in a new one who would be more vibrant and wonderful than the last – as cheesy as it sounded.

Digging her fingers into the debris around her, she began to attempt to squirm out from under the debris that covered her. Her legs and most of her lower torso had ended up buried beneath bits and pieces of brick, her left arm pinned by a twisted piece of metal. She let out a cry of pain at the movement – oh dear Lord it felt like everything in her entire body was broken – but pushed past it in an effort to free herself.

Sirens sounded in the distance, and Helen became aware of how little time she had. Nikola and Henry would be gone, as her instruction, off to finally solve the mystery she'd been hinting at the past few weeks, the entire reason she'd accomplished what she had that evening. She was alone to pull herself from the wreckage, alone to patch herself up. At least, she thought so. Hands that suddenly wrapped beneath her arms and pulled her free of the wreckage with ease startled her, and proved her previous thoughts mute.

Ignoring the protest of pain that slipped from Helen's lips, the large figure pulled her up into his arms and held her tight against him, cradling her much like a broken and fragile little doll. Helen's face turned and came into contact with blood stained fur. Pushing back the rustic stench, she curled her fingers within his fur as if to confirm that he was truly alive. A tiny wave of relief washed across her: he was alive. Not entirely okay, judging by the blood and the way he was walking, but he was alive which was far better than what she had expected.

Sirens, the crackling of fire and everything simply faded away and Helen finally closed her eyes. Exhaustion began to overwhelm her body, battling the pain she already felt. For the first time Helen truly felt her proper age, a 274-year-old with a bruised and battered body who was lucky to even still be alive.

Somewhere along the line, she gave in to her body's unyielding needs, falling into a restless sleep. She faded in and out of consciousness over a period of time, always waking to a dark room. A safe-house, she knew, while she healed long enough to be able to travel properly to the new Sanctuary. Her mind was filled with dreams of burning fires and the faces of her friends, replaced by images of the shining utopia she had worked so hard to create the past 113 years. A new time was coming – it had been time for a change. Her plans had worked, and hopefully it wouldn't all blow-up in her face now that it had come down to the end.

Her eyes snapped open in the middle of the night and she felt somewhat better. There was a dull ache at the back of her skill and she felt more than stiff, but the initial pain had disappeared. With a minor flinch, Helen pushed herself up and gazed around the dark bedroom. One of the apartments she kept on the outskirts of the city. There was tea sitting on the nightstand and she frowned, briefly, until she remembered her furry savior. The smallest, tiniest of smiles ghosted across her face before she pushed herself out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom.

Against the harsh light, it took her a moment to recognize her own face. There was a large bruise coming down the side of her face and down onto her neck, and several small lacerations that had obviously been treated, cutting across her brow, cheek bones, and chin. Her hair hung about her face, torn loose from the knot she'd had it previously, the ends of the dark curls burned, singed off in the fires. Overall, she had a taste of ash in her mouth, and was aware of how she smelled of ash and smoke herself.

Helen stripped away the light clothes she'd been put in during her sleep, finding a bandaged torso that hid two broken ribs and a gash down her side. There were more cuts across her legs – her pants had protected her well enough. There were angry red splotches in various places as well, burns where the fires had managed to get to her beneath the thick layer of clothing. Yellowing bruises crossed everywhere, and judging by the way her ankle was giving twinges of pain, she had at least sprained it.

She looked and felt like hell. Well worth it, in the end. She would heal.

Peeling away bandages that had been so carefully and tenderly plastered onto her, she turned the shower on as hot as it would go and stepped in, letting the scalding hot water cascade across her skin and turning her entirely red. Wonderful water pressure caused it to beat against her back, working almost like a massage to alleviate the tension there. The soreness in her muscles began to disappear. She simply stood there, taking everything in again before she grabbed up a washcloth and began to scrub.

Methodically, she scrubbed away the ash and the dirt and the layer of grime that had accumulated across her body, rubbing until she was practically raw from head to toe. In a way, perhaps, she was washing away the events of the past and letting the weight of it all fully escape, washing down the drain with the rest of the water. Almost in an obsessed manner, she made sure to scrub every part of her body to make sure she got the last vestiges of everything away, letting it swirl around her feet in the bathtub and away from her, forever.

Helen lost track of time, but she didn't emerge until well after the water had run cold. She dried off and rebandaged herself with bandages from beneath the sink. Having also come across a pair of scissors, she took them to her hair and clipped away the burned ends. A bit shorter, but it would grow back.

Despite the silence she found in the living room after pulling on a spare set of clothes, her old friend was sitting awake by lamplight, reading, as if nothing had changed. He looked up from the old, worn book he'd been reading as Helen limped into the living room, lingering in the doorway. They stared at one another a long moment before she crossed to him and pulled him into the tightest hug she could imagine. The blood was gone from him and while he looked just as beaten as she did, he returned the hug gently, unwilling to hurt her injuries.

"Feeling better?" He inquired when she pulled away, blinking away tears that had threatened to fall. She'd been worried, so very worried for him when he'd been left at her gates. She'd wanted to tend to him, tell him everything was going to be all right, but she hadn't had the chance, or the time. Now, it seemed, it would be the other way around.

"Fine." Helen managed with a hoarse tone. She cleared her throat, shaking her head. "I'll live, I suppose. After everything." His hand came down on her shoulder and nudged her onto the old couch.

"Good." He disappeared into the tiny kitchen for a moment and returned with another mug of tea for her, and several saltine crackers, pushing them into her hands with a grunt. He was likely partially upset with her – she hadn't told him of her plan.

"Thank you, old friend. For everything."

"Don't do it again." He grumbled and the corners of her lips twitched very briefly, almost as if she wanted to smile.

"I'll do my best."

The two settled into relative silence. Words weren't really needed at that moment, and Helen was far too exhausted still to keep up with much conversation. She rapped her fingers silently against the side of her tea mug, staring at the closed blinds of the window for a while, then flipping aimlessly through old magazines scattered across the table.

Sometime, Helen had fallen asleep; she woke back up in the bed, curled beneath warm sheets with the steady sound of rain outside the window. She stared at the foggy glass, lying on her side in bed, dissolving into her thoughts again. It would be time to reveal her plans to the others, soon. Will would be last, of course – she'd left him a note on his phone about directions and a time before she'd graciously blown herself up. Henry, Nikola and Kate were likely already on the way there, escorted by friends she'd had at the ready. She wanted Will to have the chance to change his mind, if he wanted, about working for her. After they had very nearly come to proper blows several times over the past few months, Helen thought it would be a good idea to let him revaluate himself.

Though she had quite a bit of faith he would return to them in the end.

Sighing, Helen stretched, testing out limbs and injuries. The pain was dull, but still there – nothing she couldn't push past, however. There was work that needed to be done and she couldn't be hindered. Tossing aside blankets, she moved to climb out of bed to begin her day.

However, a clattering outside the door caught her attention. She paused, sitting on the edge of the bed as she listened to quiet, temperamental voices. Judging by the tone that she knew wasn't deep enough to be the Big Guy's –

"- I don't care, I'm speaking with her now - !"

The door flung open and there stood a rather livid looking Nikola Tesla. Dear Lord. She'd been hoping to have a few days more before confronting him, but apparently he'd found her and was determined to confront her now.

"It's all right." Helen said quietly to her old friend, who lingered in the doorway, glaring at the back of Nikola's head. He gave a low growl, but nonetheless respected Helen's wishes, pulling the door shut as he headed back out into the living room.

"Nikola. I -."

"Don't." He cut across her, raising a hand to silence her as he drew closer, pinching the bridge of his nose. "How dare you, Helen. How dare you go and pull something like this without informing anyone as to the slightest notion of your plans. And then try to trick me and the others during all those years, into designing this paradise that you, again, never told anyone about? You've done quite a many things in the past, Helen, but this one absolutely tops them all."

"Are you done?" She inquired quietly, remaining on the edge of the bed as he had taken up pacing in front of her. He stopped, staring at her a long moment. Helen could see the hurt on his face, mingled with several other emotions including – surprisingly – fear. It confused her a moment, until she realized he was yelling at her because he'd been afraid to find her dead.

"No, I'm not. I have hundreds of things I could scream at you right now, Helen, but your walking carpet is already about to throw me out so I'll save most of it until we both have our own space to slam doors at one another." Nikola muttered darkly. "You can't keep shutting everyone out, Helen. We could have helped you. Instead you go and blow yourself up, don't tell anyone, and leave us to dig through the debris to find your bruised and burned body."

"I did what I had to do." She replied evenly. "It was necessary -."

"Yes, yes, it was necessary and needed for the abnormals to protect them as you've always done, ready to give your life for them, but have you ever stopped for one rational moment to consider what it does to everyone else in your life? Henry thinks he's lost his mother again. Freelander hasn't spoken in two days, Dr. Expendable is God knows where and I -." He paused, stopping himself. He glared at the wall a moment before turning his gaze on her.

"You never stop to think about the consequences of your actions on anyone else, Helen." His voice had dropped to a quieter tone. "You wrap yourself up into these elaborate plans and don't let anyone in to help you because God forbid anyone but yourself be hurt. I'm so _sick_ of you playing martyr and worrying if the woman I love is alive or not."

Helen paused, folding her hands in her lap and staring down into them for a long moment. His last comment had struck another nerve.

"After everything, I think you'd at least trust my reasoning, Nikola." She began, lifting her head to meet his gaze. "I would have told you if I could have trusted any of you, but with the government prying so deeply I didn't know who I could trust and who I couldn't. It was a safety issue. I was prepared to die the other night, Nikola. I was prepared to sacrifice myself for my work in the same fashion that most of our friends and family already have. That doesn't give you the right to berate me."

"As the only other person left alive from our era and your best friend – if that even still holds true – I should think I'm well within rights to look after your well-being, especially if what you're doing is a completely idiotic and impossible scheme that will – and should have – gotten you killed." Nikola snapped back. "I thought you were _dead_, Helen, and as much as I hate to admit it with the risk of sounding far too selfish, do you know how much it scared me?"

She sighed heavily, pushing herself off the edge of the bed into a standing position, flinching when her fractured ribs gave protest. Biting her tongue a moment, she took the three limping steps it took to cross to Nikola, reaching for his hands with her own.

"Nikola, look at me." She reached up with a hand and turned his head forcefully so that he was made to meet her gaze. He'd never been as good as guarding emotions as she herself had been, so seeing through the front he was trying to put on was almost like reading an open book. Everything was reflected in his eyes, at least, the fear and hurt and anger he held toward or for her in that moment.

"I am very much alive, and very much standing in front of you." She began, tracing circles on the back of his hand. "I should think, for the moment, that's all that matters. You can rest easy that I'm not going anywhere anytime soon as well. Berate me all you want later, once we're home."

He frowned, briefly and Helen shook her head.

"For what it's worth, I am sorry. Perhaps I should have entrusted you with this, but I needed to do it myself for the most part because their fight was with me, not with any of you. You didn't deserve to be involved and have your lives ruined as well – and they needed to think me dead. It was the only way I knew how."

"Helen Magnus – never doing things half-assed, are you? Can't just try jumping off a bridge or rooftop like normal people, but you have to blow up an entire building with you." Nikola muttered after a moment and she gave the weakest of smile. "I'm still very angry with you, Helen. Nothing you say will change that fact at the moment. You still -."

Helen had silenced him by capturing his lips with her own, gently and for only a lingering moment. He had a look of utter confusion on his face when she drew away.

"Stop talking, Nikola. It's not important anymore."

He pressed his forehead against her own and she closed her eyes, letting his breath fan across her face. He did have several points, ones she would listen to, eventually. Just not now. There was likely to be all sorts of backlash from her team members – she had expected it if she'd survived the explosion.

"If you ever do that again," Nikola said, causing her to open her eyes to meet his gaze. "I will kill you myself."

Helen laughed then, at first a tiny little chuckle but it developed into soft laughter, a hand coming to attempt and stifle it. Her body hadn't had the chance to give an emotional response to anything in what? Two days? And it was reacting accordingly – the next thing she knew, hot tears were rolling down her face and she had buried her face into Nikola's chest, clinging onto him for dear life as heavy sobs shook her frame. Heaving to catch her breath, she trembled, everything at once coming to the surface. All her loss, her pain, and suffering – everything that had happened in the past few weeks, coming to an overwhelming peak that she wasn't able to stop from creeping up on her.

She wasn't sure how long she stood there in his embrace, shaking and crying, but not once did Nikola seem to complain, or even mind holding her while she had her little emotional meltdown. He'd even guided her back to the bed to at least sit when her knees had started to give out. Somewhere in the time frame he'd simply said to hell with it all and pulled her down further onto the bed, forcing her beneath sheets and blankets and wrapping her in a tight embrace – it was to this she woke to a few hours later, face pressed in his chest, his arms holding her impossibly close.

"Better?" He inquired quietly as she shifted, blinking, rubbing at her reddened face. It took her a moment to fight off the last bits of sleep.

"I'm sorry." She replied quietly. "I shouldn't have done that."

"You had every right to." He replied, brushing a kiss to the top of her head as his grip slackened, obviously offering her a way out if she wanted it. Boldly, Helen remained where she was for the most part, shifting only so that there wasn't pressure on her ribs and her arm wasn't going to sleep.

"I'm not supposed to be this big of a wreck."

"We all have our days. After what you've accomplished, Helen, I should think you're allowed to have one, if not several, of those days. I think you're just worried that you cried in front of me."

"That isn't the problem." Helen muttered, though it partially was. She never let her guard down, and to see her cry was a rare thing indeed. "I just – I really don't know what to feel right now. Everything is numb."

"The furry carpet did come in and give you some painkillers. Might be that." He offered.

"You know what I mean, Nikola. Emotionally numb. Drained, even, I imagine. I don't know how else to describe it."

"Feeling will come back, Helen. Slowly, but surely. You've had a lot on your plate recently and while I am still very angry with you, understand that I'm here to help. Whatever you need, it's yours."

She lifted her gaze to him, curiously. "Not going to go running off across the world in search of more ways to resurrect your race?" Helen cocked an eyebrow at him, daringly. He chuckled and pulled her closer, and for the first time Helen noticed how extremely warm he was.

"I don't think so. I've got a reason to stick around this time for a while, I imagine. I hear there's a lovely new wine cellar calling my name at this new place of yours. All sorts of new toys in the labs for me to play with, too. A woman after my own heart, as always." He grinned. She wormed a hand out from beneath her and rested it against Nikola's chest, over his heart.

"Well, I do need someone to deal with fluctuating energy problems and to develop a new energy source . . . ." She trailed off. "As long as you don't have too many demands, I might be able to hire you for a short period . . . ."

"Making excuses, are we?"

"Perhaps I might keep you around for other reasons, as well. Your cooking, for instance. Certainly not your nagging sarcasm, though."

"You love it."

"I love you."

He blinked at her, as if he couldn't quite decipher if she'd actually said the words he'd been throwing at her so meaningfully for a while now. The expression on his face was endearing, to say the least, and it earned him a half smile from Helen. She tilted her head up and kissed him briefly before settling back into the crook of his arm.

"Now? Now you're never getting rid of me."

"Wasn't trying to." She gave a bit of a grin herself that he kissed away for a lingering moment, leaving her breathless. Bloody vampire. "Especially if you're going to do that quite often."

"Every chance I get." He replied. "Shall we go home?"

Helen smiled, genuinely and quite brightly for the first time in several days. "Home sounds lovely."

Without releasing her, he tugged her up into a sitting position. "Good. Because I already sent the Big Guy packing. You owe me a few more explanations, though, eventually."

"In time. When my head stops spinning and I can breathe properly." Helen replied, climbing to her feet and taking his hand, fingers curled about his. It felt almost childish, to be holding hands, but Helen reveled in the fact that she was able to now, without question. "We've a lot of work to get done."

"Tomorrow." Nikola said. "Today and the rest of the evening will be devoted to me giving you a bit of TLC. No offense, but you look a bit like hell – beautiful, but far too beat up for my liking." Back to his usual self, it seemed. Helen chuckled softly.

"Whatever you say, Nikola. But I won't put up with your fussing for long."

"You will once you see what I have in mind for you." He grinned wickedly. "You've been alone for the past 113 years, Helen. Let someone else take care of you for once instead of you trying to care for the world. Seeing as I've finally gotten in good graces – hopefully permanently – with you, I intend to be the one to do it."

"It's literally been what? Five minutes? And you're already starting on that?"

"Making up for lost time and all." He said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. She shook her head, tugging on his hand.

"Come along, my impossible vampire. We're going home."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Me again. Updated this because I suddenly had muse for it. I've been working on a few other things here or there - including a series of Doctor Who/Sanctuary one-shots I most post here sometime. But hope you enjoy this update (rating has changed, mind you, for a good reason), and this is dedicated to chartreuseian for putting up with me on twitter and being an otherwise fantastic as hell person. **_

Sighing, Helen tried to focus on the worn pages of the book before her, words illuminated by candle-light. The power was out for the second time that week because of the fluctuations, leaving most of the complex without power – the back-up generators were reserved for essential areas only. Even so, Helen's thoughts were still trying to process over from work to the old book she was reading, curled up on the plush chair in her bedroom with a glass of wine perched in her left hand. Another glass sat untouched on the table.

It'd been nearly a week since she'd blown up the old Sanctuary – tomorrow, if all went well, would be the day Will returned to them if he chose to. Helen had already had her reunion with Henry and Kate; Henry had never been happier to see her and she was quite certain he'd hugged her a good five minutes. Kate had looked absolutely livid and had nearly landed a few hits to Helen, but thankfully the older woman had been able to calm her down – as had the Big Guy's intervention. Things were – sort of – beginning to settle.

Nearly two hours after Helen had stopped working and retreated to her room, Nikola came sweeping in with little hesitation. His hair stuck up at all angles and he was muttering something to himself as he moved to the table, grabbed the wine, then stepped toward the large row of windows that offered a lovely view of one of the two large lakes in the complex, which was lit up at night by lights around the water's edge.

Helen watched with a raised eyebrow, silently of course, not wanting to interrupt just yet. She had set him and Henry on the task of coming up with a proper power solution to the complex so the blackouts would stop happening, and she could finally put the last security measures into place. She hadn't been exaggerating with the amount of work that needed to be done – she herself had been swamped all day, travelling between abnormal enclosures and her office, meeting whatever demands she needed. However, with things finally working themselves out, she was eager to start offering what resources she could to the rebuilding of Hollow Earth.

Marking her page in her book and setting it aside, she stood. Forgoing putting her heels back on, she padded over to stand beside Nikola at the window. She could hear him muttering at this distance, something about capacitors and coils and – well, other things that she was only really paying half attention to as she watched a light rain begin to mist the windows. Environmental controls were on an entirely separate power source – one that would need to be seen to eventually as well – and designed to mirror the weather outside their little 'ecosystem' on the surface, with the option of changing it daily with a bit of programming on her part. Still, it served its purpose for realistic conditions underground.

Stepping up next to him, shoulder brushing against his arm, she continued to watch it rain, listening to him still vaguely rattle on about parts to himself, before he even seemed to note she was there. Helen knew when he noticed; he stopped talking, an arm shifting to slide around her waist and pull her against his side. Helen settled there, rubbing soft circles on the back of his palm. He often tried to leave work out of her private quarters – he had been in them a few times in the past week, mostly to discuss business with Helen after hours.

"The power will be back on tomorrow morning." He spoke, slight guilt to his tone, likely for not having it back on that evening. "Hopefully. Whoever wired the original system did a horrible job, Helen. You really ought to watch who you hire. Wolf-boy's been rewiring everything and I've been creating new power generators – if we can finish the wiring in the morning and get it all connected, we should be back in business."

"That would be quite helpful." She mused. A bit hard to get what she needed done without power, but she was trying not to pressure them; they were stressed enough for the moment and she was confident they and their lab teams were more than capable of making it through the power outages to get something up and running. She leaned up and pressed a kiss against his cheek, but he twisted his head to surprise her with a proper kiss – apparently it was simply going to be a game for them now. She chuckled softly, deepening the kiss teasingly for a fleeting moment before pulling away and crossing to the laptop resting on her desk.

Nikola frowned, catching her before she could get very far. As she knew he would.

"Tease." He accused, forcing her to face him. Helen gave another cheeky little smirk, hands resting against his chest.

"Am I?"

He gave a soft growl, pulling her close and kissing her again. It was quickly becoming a nightly routine for them: heated and feverish kisses, the pair making out like a couple of teenagers. Nikola had been the gentleman about it, however, unwilling to go much further in fear of hurting her ribs or any other sensitive parts that were still healing. It frustrated her more than anything, but she'd understood his reservations.

Helen found herself pressed against the wall, at the mercy of Nikola's lips against her neck and his hands gentle tracing down her sides through the fabric of her blouse, even more gentle when he reached the bandages wrapped around her torso. His attention to her the past week had been nothing but TLC, as promised, with a side of snark and sarcasm – same Nikola, it seemed.

"Don't start something you don't intend to finish." Helen managed, breathless after he'd stolen another lingering, heated kiss. He tasted of wine, the best kind, and she could feel it lingering against her lips.

"You know very well you're still healing. Really, Helen. One would think you'd manage the way you've been putting me off for centuries." Nikola spoke. They had their trysts through the years, of course, sordid affairs that had been frenzied and rushed and simple things to satisfy the need. Helen had quickly learned that was not Nikola's only specialty over the past week, with his hands trailing across her skin and gentle kisses against various spots along her person. It was more gentle than she'd thought him capable of.

"I have massive amounts of pain killers in my system for a reason, Nikola."

"Oh, you want me to take advantage of you then?"

"It's not as if I'm helpless and unconscious. It's a few bumps and bruises, and right now they're not hurting." Helen said. "Besides, the release of endorphins in my system that you're fueling now is a natural painkiller. It helps."

He silenced her with another kiss, feathering her lips with a few scattered brief ones, his hands stilling at her hips. He was apparently biding his time, considering; Helen knew the moment he decided, as their tongues were suddenly dueling for dominance and he had her pinned to the wall with his body pressed against every inch of hers. She was gasping for breath when he pulled away, fingers tugging at her blazer until she shifted enough to let him pull it away. His jacket and vest followed hers to the floor, creating a small pile not far away.

"On my terms, Helen." He warned as she reached for the buttons on his shirt. "Let me take care of you."

"You've been doing such all week."

"You're injured. Trust me. Once you're better you'll be wishing I was back to this. But for now? Take it slow. I want to relish every bit of this, and I want to make sure I don't hurt you." There was a certain kindness in his eyes that she hadn't seen since Oxford, since when he'd been that odd foreign boy with a bit of vulnerability and a thicker accent. Helen gave a small nod and he brushed a hand against her cheek momentarily before ducking his lips to her throat again, sneaking just beneath her ear.

Leave it to Nikola to instantly find the spot that had always been her undoing.

His hands pushed aside the fabric of her blouse, gently, brushing against the soft skin of her abdomen and tracing the line of her bandages horizontally across. Up the small of her back and to her neck, pulling it away as his fingers danced across every yellowing bruise in the most gentlest of manner he could manage. His kisses trailed lower to the cut on her collarbone and the bruise that had blossomed there.

Helen continued her earlier task of removing his shirt and he let her, her hands seeking the warm skin he always so carefully hide from view. Once his fabric had joined the pile on the ground, she traced soft patterns across his wiry muscles. Nikola trailed a hand along her hip, the zipper of her skirt following without even a touch; apparently he wasn't beyond using his abilities. The item pooled around her feet and she kicked it away as she'd done with her shoes, pulling Nikola closer. There was a soft chill in the room that seemed more prominent now that she was only in her underwear and bandages.

His lips claimed her again, hands going back to her thighs, teasing close and yet drawing nowhere near she was craving. Her temperature was steadily climbing, skin flushing a soft pink the more his lips and hands continued their caresses. Helen made a soft noise in the back of her throat when he nibbled at her pulse point with human teeth, only to flick his tongue out and lick it seconds after. Another spot that utterly undid her.

Her arms went around his neck and the hands at her thighs lifted, pulling her up into his arms. Legs wrapped around his waist with her back still against the wall, he resumed his assault against her lips, nipping and teasing playfully while supporting her as if it were nothing. Her fingers tangled into the hair at the back of his neck, pulling.

"Tease." She managed to get out when he allowed her to breathe again. He grinned wickedly, chuckling.

"You've no idea."

Pulling away from the wall, he crossed to the bed and deposited her carefully, mindful not to jostle her. Somewhere between her shifting into a better position and him joining her, his suit pants joined the clothes on the floor. His lips and hands resumed their assault of Helen's body, drifting lower. Kisses across the swell of a breast, fingers toying with the hem of her black lace underwear. He gave an appreciative hum, flicking his fingers. She felt the clasp of her bra unhinge and he pulled it away, eager for more. He gingerly kissed the bruise that the side of her bra had been hiding, before his tongue returned to swirl around first one nipple, then the other.

Frustrated and despite the slight tinge of pain her ribs gave, Helen shifted and wrapped a leg around his, flipping them so she was pinning him to the bed. He seemed startled for a moment, then fixated her with a glare and shifted them again.

"My rules, remember?"

"Your rules are annoying."

"You're one to talk."

Nikola pulled away the rest of her underwear before she could protest any further, but his fingers went right back to teasing her. Up her thigh and down another, but never close to where she needed the friction, the touch of his hand, the most. He kissed lower, across her abdomen, across more injuries. He seemed intent on giving her every bit of attention he possibly could, except in the way her body was ultimately begging for.

"You're marvelous, Helen."

"So you say every time we play this game." She said quietly, fingers tangled in his hair.

"It's an entirely different game now."

And it was, indeed.

Pulling him back up to her lips, she jerked away his underwear and took him in her hands, causing him to groan against her. Her fingers danced along his length, teasing, a bit of payback for earlier. He seemed eager to return the favor, his own fingers suddenly diving deep into her own folds. Her back arched, body pressing against his a close as she could manage. His kisses swallowed any noise that escaped; Helen had always been aware he was good with his hands, and in more ways than one.

Nipping at her neck, Helen pressed against him enough to push them into a sitting position so she could adjust, and the pressure was taken away from her ribs. His touch had become teasing at her entrance, little more than stimulation that was driving her absolutely mad – then again, her touch on his own member wasn't much different. But Helen was already growing tired of playing such games, intent on saving them for a date in the future in which she could easily tease him to no end in return (that would certainly be a fun night indeed).

"Nikola," She breathed, pulling away. "You. Now." She was more than ready, body alight with a new fire that wouldn't be satisfied until she'd had him. Her side gave a pull as he gathered her into his arms.

"Are you certain, Helen?" He asked with a sense of uncertainness she hadn't heard before. Breathing heavily, her gaze slipped to his eyes and spotted a new vulnerability. Normally in their trysts they'd been somewhat cold as he tried to emotionally shut her out. Now he seemed nearly afraid.

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."

"I love you." A test, then, it seemed. Helen gave a breathy chuckle, momentarily distracted as he shifted enough that his member was pressed against her, begging for entrance.

"I love you, too, Nikola."

The words had barely escaped her before he was buried in her in one long thrust. She gasped, the sensation more than she had expected at once to assault her senses. Falling back against the pillows with Nikola propped over her, his kissed her again, letting her adjust before he began to move. Eye lids fluttering closed, she shifted her hips against his as he began to build a slow and steady rhythm. His hands skimmed across her sides, up to her breasts and down again, a constant motion.

Pleasure coiled around the base of her spine and shot in every direction across her body the more they moved together, her hips moving to meet his. Utter bliss, it felt like – she couldn't remember their previous encounters feeling so wonderful. Whether or not it had to do with the pills in her system, she didn't give a damn, far too distracted at the moment to process any coherent or rational thought.

He murmured her name against her flushed skin, drawing her closer to the edge. His touch and movements continued to be gentle, as if he feared she might somehow shatter beneath him – and she would, but in the best of ways possible if he kept going the way he was. Her fingers dug into his back, head tilted back as she pulled him closer. His teeth began another go at her neck.

The world around her melted away as everything peaked and she fell to pieces, pleasure sweeping across her in waves at precisely the same time Nikola shuddered above her, signaling his own release. His name escaped her lips a plethora of times, body writhing of its own accord to draw out her orgasm for as long as possible.

"I hope," He began a moment later when they were both still attempting to catch their breath, falling into the pillows beside her. "that this means I get to do this far more often."

"The jury's still out," She replied, twisting her head to look at him. "But I can see them ruling in your favor sometime very soon."

"Perhaps they need more convincing." He mused, a hand already beginning another track up her thigh, dancing upward with a light touch until it reached her waist, settling there. He pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her temple. She blinked hazily, still trying to get her bearings back entirely.

"This changes things, doesn't it?" She inquired after another pause, studying him. "Everything."

Something flashed in his eyes and she rested a hand against his chest.

"I don't regret this, Nikola." She added. "But something tells me that we can't go back to just 'friends' this time, if something happens."

"You're not going to shut me out, are you?"

She shifted, rolling so that she was leaning against his chest and looking down at him. Hair framing her face, she gave a soft smile.

"No, I don't think so. Perhaps only if you upset me."

"I want to help you, Helen." He spoke, reaching up to brush the back of his hand against her cheek, tenderly. "But you can't keep hiding things from me. Like this place."

"Are you going to berate me again for it all?" She inquired, arching a brow. "Not exactly the after-sex conversation I expected."

He chuckled. "Tomorrow? Probably. But you have me at your mercy, I'm afraid, Miss. Magnus. There's no getting rid of me now."

"Who says I wanted to?"

"Give it time. You generally change your mind."

Helen's brows furrowed, and clearly he say her mild irritation at the statement. While not entirely untrue, she had already effectively 'sealed the deal' and there was no going back on it. Not now. And quite frankly, she didn't intend to.

"Things are going to get better. You've created this marvelous paradise, Helen, and while I'm only slightly irritated you wouldn't let me help, I understand why. Reluctantly." Nikola said. "But I would prefer it not to happen again."

"You of all people know I can't be open about everything, Nikola. It's going to take me time to accept the fact that I'm capable of doing such, even with you."

"And I understand that. And I intend to be here when you decide that you can do that. I meant what I said – I'm not leaving. Who needs world domination when you can tell the government to suck it from the privacy of Helen Magnus' bed?"

She laughed, lips curling into a soft smile.

"Cheeky."

"You're one to talk."

"Pipe down before I decide to kick you out of my bed."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me."


	3. Chapter 3

Helen had known going in there would be problems to deal with, things to overcome – including steering the government cleanly away from their path. She knew they'd comb through the remains of the Old City Sanctuary to try and find proof that she'd died in the blast, and Helen hadn't had time to fabricate enough evidence in which to convince them. So they would be looking – which, in turn, meant that her teams on the surface weren't safe. But she'd come up with a way to finally fabricate it, and an elaborate scheme to go along with it that would permanently likely lead Addison and his goons away from her team while they made final preps and got the last of the abnormal settled from above ground – which meant breaking out the others that had managed to get captured by the government, including ones locked up at SCUI.

While Will and the others took care of that, Helen was going to do something she hadn't done in a very long time: run.

Giving them the tip had been easy. They'd scrambled around, but Helen was already long gone, leaving quite the lovely trail of figurative breadcrumbs for them to follow.

"Nikola, I swear I'm going to cram that toy down your throat."

"You can't keep me cramped in a car forever and not expect me to get bored, Helen. It's why I don't travel by anything other than plane."

"You could have stayed at the Sanctuary."

She received no response and knew she had won, well aware that he'd be holding true of his statement of staying involved, and making sure she wasn't about to go away and off herself for real. He'd gotten the power stabled in the Sanctuary to the best of his abilities before tagging along with Helen, who had snagged one of the Sanctuary cards and was currently twisting this way and that across Canada and the United States in a path of back roads and small towns, making sure they could be traced, but not so easily that it didn't give Addison and friends a challenge.

Map spread out across the hood of the car, her finger traced a route, calculating, gaze briefly slipping to Nikola as he leaned against the side of the car and fiddled with the rubix cube he's managed to get his hands on somehow. She knew he didn't like being in a car for hours on end, but he was suffering – for her. She lingered at pull-offs and old gas stations (their current stopping point) for as long as she dared to give him time to stretch his legs, but he never ventured far. Her lips curved into a faintly amused smirk.

"Something funny?" He cocked a brow, pushing away from the car and straightening his vest. The smile quickly disappeared from her face.

"Not at all." Helen turned her attention back to the map on hand. "There's a smaller town just over another hour and a half from here. We should be safe staying there for the night. I don't trust you enjoy in a vehicle to drive and I'm too exhausted to attempt much further." She spoke. He scoffed.

"Please. At least I've never wrecked one."

"Because you've never driven one. And I don't want to hear it, because that wasn't my fault."

"Accident reports beg to differ."

She tossed the wrapper from her granola bar at him. He chuckled, watching her fold the map back into some form, moving back around to the driver's seat. He slid in smoothly before she'd even opened the car door. Being cramped up and driving for ages hardly bothered her – she just wished it were under different circumstances. She tried to push the negativity from her mind as she pulled back out onto the road they were currently following, passing the map over to Nikola with a quiet request of navigation.

He was still playing with the blasted cube.

"You know, this reminds me of Egypt." He said a few more miles into their journey and Helen cast him a look, having been wrapped up in her own thoughts of the Sanctuary, Addison, and Nikola himself (he seemed unable to not always occupy some little corner of her mind most days now).

"How so?"

"Driving in the middle of nowhere, just the two of us – except far less sand in unmentionable places. And proper air conditioning."

"You weren't complaining of the heat at the time." Helen quipped.

"Not until you had me out digging in the dirt for your fancy little tomb. I'm sure you and Carter could have found it all on your own." He muttered, not looking up from his current task of aligning the coloured squares.

"If I was suffering, you were suffering with me. You were eager to go."

"Only because you enticed me, you desert vixen." He reached over and caught the hand that had been resting in her lap, curling cool fingers around her own. He let their joined hands rest on the center console of the car while he continued to work out his little rubix cube. Helen blinked, somewhat startled by the action – since when had Nikola ever been a hand holder? He made no notion that it was out of the ordinary when she glanced at him again, but she did not pull her hand away. Instead, she rubbed a soft circle across the back of his hand with her thumb, returning her attention to driving.

At least he hadn't distracted her with a hand on her leg like earlier that morning.

The drive continued in companionable silence – a feat she hadn't considered Nikola capable of, really – until they reached the town Helen had mentioned on the map. It was dusk, the sun setting behind the large forest of trees that seemed to encircle three fourths of the quaint place. It would due for lying low for the evening, and they would be out before they were noticed before morning light.

Room key in hand for the small hotel, Helen shoved open the door to room three and almost immediately sat on the edge of the bed with a heavy sigh. Exhaustion was prevalent in her features; with good reason. She'd slept very little the past few days. Nikola shut the door and locked it, drawing tight the curtains that had likely been thrown open earlier in the day. With only a vague wave of his hand, the nightstand light clicked to life to cast the room in a soft glow. Not the most enjoyable of surroundings, but it was a bed and Helen wasn't going to be picky.

She flopped back against the bed, staring at the ceiling, half debating the pros and cons of falling asleep then and there. Whether she wanted to get up and get a shower or not, too. The overwhelming urge to just lay there was far too ideal.

Something tugged on her boot and she looked down, finding Nikola pulling away her footwear. The sound of the shower reached her ears. The protest she'd been about to make died on her lips as the clasp of her jeans seemingly undid themselves.

"We both need showers. And you need sleep." Nikola spoke. "I'm still in the phase where I'm taking care of you."

"I'll let it slip by this once." Helen muttered, too tired to argue with the fact that she could very well care for herself. Rolling to the side and to her feet, she shoved her jeans down and began to strip the rest of her layers, just the same as Nikola was. It was important to conserve water, after all.

The moment the hot water hit her tension filled muscles, she was certain she'd briefly died and gone to heaven – though, considering her last few brushes with death, quickly amended the thought into something more pleasant. It was at least the best thing she'd felt in the past few days – at least until Nikola's hands were suddenly on her shoulders from behind, massaging out rough knots and constricted muscles. Her chin rested against her chest as she braced a hand on the wall of the shower, willing herself not to pool at the bottom of the tub with the rest of the water swirling about the drain.

But damn; the amount of things the man could do with his fingers were endless.

Helen's head resting against the wall, she reached for the small travel shampoo the hotel kept stocked in the bathrooms, but he'd already grabbed it and was massaging it into her scalp, the generic scent flooding her nostrils.

"You're spoiling me, Nikola."

"Isn't that what boyfriend's do?"

She made a noise between a snort and a chuckle. The term didn't seem right, applied to Nikola. Far too juvenile. And she was certainly no one's 'girlfriend'. It was all the more odd hearing him say it.

"Yes, but not lovers." She corrected and he chuckled, pressing a kiss to the back of her neck.

"They do now. Just accept a bit of TLC right now. You can go back to being your independent self tomorrow when you're not dead on your feet. Better watch out or I might carry you to bed."

"Save it, Niko."

He chuckled again and ran fingers through her hair, tugging out the knots and the last of the shampoo. Conditioner followed, and as it rinsed away down the drain she turned toward him and ran a hand down his chest. He gave a low growl.

"Tease."

She leaned up and kissed him, water and all, tangling her other hand into his hair. He responded eagerly, burying his hands in the ends of her hair and tugging lightly as he kissed her in return. Somehow even still, he tasted of wine. Something permanent, apparently; Helen decided instantly she liked it. Only pulling away when the need for breath made her lungs burn, she gave a tired smile.

"Thank you."

"I'll do it far more often if I get rewarded with kisses like that." He smirked. She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"You're incorrigible."

"You wouldn't love me otherwise."

After being thoroughly tended to by the vampire, Helen dried herself off and changed back into her under things. Her other clothes were in the car and she couldn't be bothered to fetch them. Blankets turned down, she was all too happy to crawl between the sheets, curling up almost instantly next to Nikola the moment he joined her.

"Can you imagine living like this, on the run, forever?" Helen inquired quietly with a soft yawn, damp hair fanned out across the pillow as she faced him on her side.

"Yes and no. I can't imagine it'd be a fulfilling life."

"You wouldn't run away with me?" She gave a half grin, eyelids slipping closed.

"I would pack my bags the moment the words left your mouth if you wanted me to." Nikola pressed a kiss to her temple, pulling her close into his side. "But you deserve more than a life on the run."

"Perhaps . . ." Her voice grew softer, another small yawn escaping as she resettled against him. Within moments her breathing had changed and she'd given in to the exhaustion pulling her under, drifting away into a gentle sleep.

Morning came too quickly, but hopefully it would be the last day of 'running' and they'd be returning to the Sanctuary soon after. They had stopped at a long stretch of highway that wasn't busy in the slightest, pulling off near an embankment. Another part of the ridiculous, elaborate plan that Nikola had complained about since they'd first started. Helen knew it was ridiculous and would have much rather remained safe within the Sanctuary, but Addison had not relented as expected. Perhaps true evidence would convince him.

Two of Helen's friends in the area had met up with them, bringing along two bodies – a male and female both that looked remarkably similar to Helen and Nikola themselves. The records on both of them had been destroyed so they never existed, really, as Helen and Nikola had never existed within a government computer either. They would find nothing comparing teeth – if they could find any left – or any other sort of thing. Perhaps DNA, but that had been taken care of as well, with the bodies drained of blood and replaced by samples of Helen and Nikola's, so that if they managed to pull something, they could test for the abnormalities of the source blood; it wouldn't be enough to extract anything but mere confirmation that it had been them in the car.

At least, Helen hoped. It was a last resort. Addison would get the evidence he craved, hopefully, and then leave them alone for good. Move on to trashing other lives and bothering others instead of their own.

"Thank you, Jessica. And Seamus." Helen spoke quietly, waiting until they had wrestled the two bodies into the clothes she and Nikola had been wearing the day previously. "For doing this."

"Anytime, Helen." Jessica smiled, eyes flashing a brilliant yellow in hue; a shapeshifter, who normally wore sunglasses to hide the only visible abnormality about her. Seamus just gave a grin – a human that Helen had come across unknowingly tending to a series of abnormals. He'd been sucked into their world ever since.

Jessica glanced toward Nikola, who was standing a few feet away, watching with a troubled expression. Helen frowned.

"Is he all right?"

"I don't know." Helen replied quietly. "I've never seen that look before." Silently, she made a mental note to speak with him once they were safely away.

The smell of gasoline entered her nose and she wrinkled it momentarily, glancing over to where Seamus was dousing the entire car in a special substance he had come up with. Not quite gasoline, but something that would burn away and not leave a trace once it had all burned up – and anything covered in it with it.

"Step back." He warned and the girls did, distancing themselves from the car as he gave a small push and it began to roll down the small embankment, followed by a match that landed on the trunk. The car immediately flared to life in flames. Helen took another step back as she felt the heat lick her skin even from her distance away. Well, that was that.

Jessica and Seamus drove them into their hometown, dropping them off at Jessica's house where they were to stay the night before rendezvousing with a member of the Sanctuary team the next day. Nikola still did not speak, and when Helen shut the door to their guest room after Jessica had gone to take Seamus home, she spoke.

"Nikola, what's wrong?"

"You died. Again."

"No, I didn't. I'm right here." She said, frowning, stepping toward him. He'd gone to the window, watching out of it a moment. It was open wide to the small town streets below. He glanced at her.

"You faked your death again, Helen. And mine. We're both up to two now, I think. How many more?" There was a bitterness to his tone that she hadn't noticed before. "It's getting old."

"What's gotten to you so badly about this, Nikola?" Helen sat down on the edge of the bed, folding her arms across her chest. He turned away from the window to cross the room, pacing, and she had the strangest sense of Déjà vu from where he'd visited her at the safe house just after her last 'death'.

"Is this our lives for the rest of forever, Helen? Running, hiding, faking deaths here or there because someone is after us?"

"There's nothing left to do but go home. We'll be fine there. Safe. No more faking anything."

"Do you know that for certain? When you go back to the surface tracking down abnormal, how do you know they still won't be looking? That someone in some town will recognize you?"

"I'll take precautions –"

"And then you'll be faking your death again and again and eventually, Helen, it'll be for real."

"You're afraid I'm going to go out and get myself killed, aren't you?" She challenge, anger beginning. "My life is dangerous, Nikola. It comes with the territory. You've always known that."

"Things are different now." He said, suddenly turning to face her. "I finally have you, Helen, and I'm not willing to let you so easily sacrifice yourself for this work. You may be ready to die at any moment for anyone and while I admire your adoration and passion for your work, it's really getting out of hand." Nikola continued on his rant. "Because one day you're not going to come back. You said yourself just the other day you were tired of being alone, tired of losing everyone else – it works both ways, Helen. I'm not losing you to this work like I've lost everyone else. I will _not_ be the last of the Five because you decide you really do need to kill yourself to right some wrong or protect this network."

Helen was startled momentarily by his anger. Apparently he hadn't let it all go from the first time she'd blown up the Sanctuary; and here she was hoping he'd had, if only to avoid such a conversation. Argument, rather, the way her own anger was struggling to be contained. Part of her wanted to argue that he had no right to try and tell her what and what not to do, but the more rational part was telling her that yes, he did, because he cared for her so much.

"So please," He continued after another moment, this time far quieter. He sank down to her level on the bed, taking her hands. "stop doing dangerous things for a while. You're going to give me grey hair and a heart attack. If anyone would, it would be you."

"I could say the very same thing about you." Helen quipped dryly.

"I've kept myself in line recently, thank you." He returned. "Let's just get home in one piece, and then I want to stay there. You and I both. Just for a while. You've deserved a break."

After a moment, Helen nodded.

"You're right. I have deserved a break." She conceded, pulling her hands away and digging into her jacket pocket. "But not at home."

She held up a finger to Nikola's puzzled look as she dialed Will's number.

_"Magnus?"_

"Will, do me a favor. Track our location, send the jet to the nearest local airport. Tell the pilot to pack for a lengthy flight."

_"Are you coming back soon?"_

"Not quite. I'm taking a vacation. Everything's over, and I'll be back next week. You and Declan can finish getting everything settled."

_"But –."_

Helen had already hung up, looking back to Nikola with an impassive face.

"I hope you like Italy."


End file.
